New Orleans Public Service, Inc. v. Council of the City of New Orleans et al.

Decided June 19, 1989. Antonin Scalia delivered the opinion of the Court.

Docket 88-348 · 491 U.S. 350 (1989) · Cited 1,688 times

Holding

The District Court erred in abstaining from exercising jurisdiction.

The Court’s statement of the holding, from the opinion’s syllabus. The syllabus is prepared by the Reporter of Decisions and is not part of the opinion of the Court — read the official opinion for authority.

How the Justices voted

Decided 9–0.

“Concurring” means agreeing with the outcome; any split shown is the Court’s judgment, not each Justice’s reasoning. Source: the Supreme Court Database (Spaeth et al.), Washington University.

Precedents cited

Supreme Court decisions this opinion relies on, ordered by how often it cites each. Cases in our collection link through; others are named.

• Younger v. Harris · 401 U.S. 37 (1971)
• Burford v. Sun Oil Co. · 319 U.S. 315 (1943)
• Prentis v. Atlantic Coast Line Co. · 211 U.S. 210 (1908)
• Ohio Civil Rights Commission v. Dayton Christian Schools, Inc. · 477 U.S. 619 (1986)
• Alabama Public Service Commission v. Southern Railway Co. · 341 U.S. 341 (1951)
• Colorado River Water Conservation District v. United States · 424 U.S. 800 (1976)
• Middlesex County Ethics Committee v. Garden State Bar Ass'n · 457 U.S. 423 (1982)
• Huffman v. Pursue, Ltd. · 420 U.S. 592 (1975)
• Public Util. Comm'n of Ohio v. United Fuel Gas Co. · 317 U.S. 456 (1943)
• Pennzoil Co. v. Texaco Inc. · 481 U.S. 1 (1987)
• Mississippi Power & Light Co. v. Mississippi Ex Rel. Moore · 487 U.S. 354 (1988)
• Moore v. Sims · 442 U.S. 415 (1979)
• Juidice v. Vail · 430 U.S. 327 (1977)
• Trainor v. Hernandez · 431 U.S. 434 (1977)
• Nantahala Power & Light Co. v. Thornburg · 476 U.S. 953 (1986)
• Moses H. Cone Memorial Hospital v. Mercury Construction Corp. · 460 U.S. 1 (1983)
• District of Columbia Court of Appeals v. Feldman · 460 U.S. 462 (1983)
• Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corp. v. Public Service Commission · 447 U.S. 557 (1980)
• Cohens v. Virginia · 19 U.S. 264 (1821)
• Pacific Gas & Electric Co. v. State Energy Resources Conservation & Development Commission · 461 U.S. 190 (1983)
• Wooley v. Maynard · 430 U.S. 705 (1977)
• Zablocki v. Redhail · 434 U.S. 374 (1978)
• Kline v. Burke Construction Co. · 260 U.S. 226 (1922)
• McNeese v. Board of Education for Community Unit School District 187 Cahokia · 373 U.S. 668 (1963)
• Hawaii Housing Authority v. Midkiff · 467 U.S. 229 (1984)
• Deakins v. Monaghan · 484 U.S. 193 (1988)
• Lane v. Wilson · 307 U.S. 268 (1939)
• Colorado Interstate Gas Co. v. Federal Power Commission · 324 U.S. 581 (1945)
• Watson v. Buck · 313 U.S. 387 (1941)
• Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corp. v. Arkansas Public Service Commission · 461 U.S. 375 (1983)

Cited by

Later Supreme Court opinions in our collection that cite this case.

• Quackenbush v. Allstate Insurance · 517 U.S. 706 (1996)
• City of Chicago v. International College of Surgeons · 522 U.S. 156 (1997)
• Ankenbrandt Ex Rel. L. R. v. Richards · 504 U.S. 689 (1992)
• Setser v. United States · 566 U.S. 231 (2012)
• Zivotofsky Ex Rel. Zivotofsky v. Clinton · 566 U.S. 189 (2012)
• Axon Enterprise, Inc. v. FTC · 598 U.S. 175 (2023)

Official text

Read the official opinion (U.S. Reports, govinfo.gov)

Explore from here

Antonin Scalia’s profile · All Supreme Court opinions · The Supreme Court

Source: Supreme Court of the United States, slip opinions (1989). Citation count from the Free Law Project’s CourtListener bulk data. Data last verified 2026-07-03. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).